§ Sir A. HOLBROOKasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport whether he will consult with the Minister of Agriculture as to the advisability of reconsidering: the deter- 1828W mination not to restore the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway, having regard to the fact that a large acreage of arable land has been put out of cultivation owing to the line being closed; whether he is aware that the traffic on the line was killed by the infrequency of the trains and by the fact that they were never run in connection with the main-line trains; and will he consider whether a motor service on the line, thus avoiding the maintenance of staffs at each station, would prove remunerative?
§ Lieut.-Colonel ASHLEYFor the reasons explained in the reply which I gave to the question which my hon. and gallant Friend asked on this subject on 29th November, I do not feel able to intervene in the direction suggested.